by Jay Abraham

I am shocked and appalled by the number of businesses that make it difficult, sometimes maddeningly difficult, for people to buy from them.

It happens in all kinds of crazy overt and covert ways--and in the professions as well as in business. It's not a deliberate thing, but it might as well be because the effects can be just as massively damaging to your bottom line.

Consider just a few examples of what I'm talking about:

* A company selling by direct mail fails to include important ordering directions in its sales letter. Prospects are left feeling confused, so much so that many of them simply toss the offer into the nearest waste basket.

* A telephone operator snaps, "Hello, hold please" and then leaves you dangling so long that you finally hang up and promise yourself that you'll never deal with that company again.

* A dentist typically keeps his patients waiting a half hour or more. To make matters even worse, his waiting-room furniture is drab and uncomfortable, and his waiting-room magazines are woefully out of date. His suffering patients mumble to themselves, "Next time, some other dentist."

* You're eating a great meal in a restaurant you've never patronized before. You go to the rest room. YYYYYuuuckKK! Wet floors. No soap.No towels. Conditions are so revolting that you don't even want to return to your table, much less to the restaurant.

I call these insidious transactional turn-offs "The Spike," because they literally kill off hundreds of millions of dollars of sales. The good news is that there is a simple way you can avoid "The Spike" and even turn it to your own advantage!

Two Steps to Help You Keep "The Spike" Away and Give You a Powerful Edge:

The first step I want you to take is a very obvious one but extremely important, because unless you take the first step you won't be in a strong strategic position when you move to Step Number Two. Step #1: Carefully go over your own operations to make sure that you aren't losing sales to "The Spike" because of some act of omission or commission that has escaped your notice.

Look for anything that might discourage people from buying from you and, if you find one or two things are turning people away, fix them! To root out the culprits, ask yourself these questions:

* Is our offer clearly stated? Are the buying directions clear?

* Do our ads explain and emphasize the specific benefits customers will enjoy if they buy our products or services?

* Are we treating customers or clients as we ourselves would want to be treated? Are we invariably courteous and prompt and always solicitous of the customer's needs and wants? Do we suggest follow-up purchases that would add to the enjoyment of a first purchase?

* Can people get through to us by phone or fax without long delays? Do we make people feel at home when they come in to shop or see us? Do we thank people for buying? Do we offer our best customers tangible proof of our appreciation? Do we give these best customers first crack at special discounts and other special buying opportunities?

Do Some "Mystery Shopping"

Once you have made sure that your own house is in order, do some "Mystery Shopping."

Start buying from your main competitor, either openly or on the sly, and see if you can identify one or more serous weaknesses in their way of doing business. If serious weaknesses exist, and you can exploit them, they could be your ticket to a major business breakthrough!

You might find, for example, that your main competitor is too slow, doesn't have convenient hours, doesn't guarantee full money back, doesn't permit exchanges, doesn't offer a time-payment plan, doesn't offer parking, doesn't make home deliveries. Whatever it is that they don't do that you do now or COULD do, get it all down on paper. Make notes.

Then talk with some of your main competitor's customers or clients, asking them what they like and don't like about dealing with your competitor. Compare what they say to the way you felt when you did your own "Mystery Shopping."

The dislikes could come down to something as simple as extending your business hours by 30 minutes, or letting your customers' kids play with puzzles and toys in your reception area. But, whatever it is, go for it!

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This resource is (c) Jay Abraham, a renowned marketing expert, and is taken from the "Jay Abraham's Business Breakthroughs" newsletter.